Indiana Jones and the Parisian Walking Tours

Just about two weeks ago, my dad came to visit — and that’s where our last blog left off. Now, as I type this, we’re in Normandy (again), enjoying the rainy weather and counting down the days until we head back to Texas.

Right after the last blog, my dad and I went to the Saint-Germain area to watch the UW Badger football game. We had a great burger while watching the Badgers get pummeled by Michigan. The next day, we grabbed Chinese food, and my dad introduced the kids to Minions for our weekly movie night.

The following week was pretty normal for me — full of work, work, and more work. It feels like the projects just keep stacking up with even more on the line. My dad stopped by a few times during the week but mostly explored the city on his own. He highly recommended the walking tours, though he did admit afterward that “his dawgs were barking!” One night, we made a charcuterie board, which was a big hit and much better than our first attempt a few weeks ago. We also went to see the Eiffel Tour all lit up at night, which everyone loved.

Another highlight of the week was having my dad visit my office for lunch. It was great having him see where I work and check out the restaurant downstairs. We had a good meal — and an even better dessert. Later that night, we went to a crêperie near Emery’s school, where I had a burger crêpe that I highly recommend.

On Saturday the 11th, Hailey, the kids, and I went to Disneyland Paris, which was all decked out for Halloween. It was really well done — but very full. In fact, the park was sold out, which was a first for us. We mostly explored and walked around instead of going on many rides, but we still had a great time. On Sunday, we did another boat cruise. It was nice to get back on the Seine, but the larger boat just didn’t have the same charm as the smaller one we did a few weeks earlier.

During the week, my dad stopped by a few more times and continued his adventures — usually dressed like Indiana Jones, of course — and even made some homemade macarons, which were excellent! (Well done, Dad!) Oh, and Monday our car was delivered! which now means WE HAVE WHEELS!

Another highlight for me was dinner at Bouillon Chartier. The meal was fantastic, reasonably priced, and served in a beautiful, historic setting. We both ordered escargot for the starter and beef bourguignon for the main, followed by profiteroles for me and a meringue dessert for my dad. Overall, it was a great meal.

We wrapped up the visit with dinner at our favorite restaurant in all of Paris — Pietro Pizza. It’s in the 15th arrondissement, right next to the place we stayed for our first month here, and in our opinion, it’s the best pizza in Paris. It was the perfect final meal with my dad before we headed off to Normandy and he flew back to California.

Thank you for coming Dad, and see you soon (maybe even in Texas!)